Sometimes a Manic Hobgoblin gets the better of me. I live in a sweet, old house in central Austin built in 1952. I travel a few times each year. I have too many pets, and love each one more than the next.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Raining Even Harder

Apologies for the delay in posting. I know you guys waited in suspense to read about our last day and a half in New York, which as foreshadowed in this post's title featured even heavier rains that did not stop politely as we went about our sightseeing.

First stop on the day's subway travels was at Macy's Herald Square for the Flower Show. The rain kept us from enjoying the outdoors, but Macy's put a zillion beautiful plants and flowers indoors for us to ogle. From the Macy's website, "Spring Is In The Air as Macy's Herald Square is transformed into a wonderland of spectacular gardens where magic reaches new heights and floral fantasies take flight! This year's show features 10 different garden environments, including our new Hot, Palm and Topiary gardens, and over 30,000 different varieties of exotic trees, flowering plants and brilliant color as far as the eye can see. Take a guided tour or stroll through our enchanting gardens at your own pace. And, don't miss our hot air balloon centerpiece, overflowing with lush spring flowers that will make your spirits soar!"

I wish we had taken photos, but we didn't. In a word, it was LUSH. What a wonderful break from the dirty rain outside.

Next stop on the R train was the Union Square Whole Foods. Chad and I both craved vegetables. In general, Manhattan lacks fresh produce in the worst way. Whole Foods supplied a welcome oasis of nutrition at the salad bar. Mmm... vitamins. Due to the rain, Chad and I opted not to trek over to ABC Carpet & Home, but on past trips to the city, I loved visiting ABC.

We chose to lounge in the loud, crowded Ace Hotel lobby for a while before dinner. Other people may have braved the rain to see more sights, but we didn't. Vacation is a time for relaxing, so that's what we did until dinner. In the dusty drizzle, we returned to Toon Thai on Park Avenue. Yum again! Our after dinner stroll (in the rain) took us to the Empire State Building to peer at the architecture. Due to the rain and clouds, we did not go up to the observation deck.

Chad loves Pinkberry. We were within walking distance of one, so we had to go. It was my first taste of Pinkberry. It's frozen yogurt that actually tastes like yogurt versus tasting like watered-down soft-serve. Pinkberry also offers a variety of toppings from chocolate chips to fresh fruit. Tasty in a healthy-ish way.

Back through the rain, past the lobby bouncers to our hotel to pack for our trip home the next morning. I was more than ready to get home to beautiful Austin, my cozy & good-smelling house and my sweet pets. But first we took a harrowing cab ride to JFK airport. The cab driver had a little conniption fit about the rain and traffic, scolding us that he wasn't making good money by driving us to the airport. Sorry, dude, but please quit trying to commit vehicular suicide while we're in your cab! The truly scary ride included a meandering (methinks also lost & frustrated) tour of the parking area before dropping us at our terminal. Kiss the ground! We made it to the airport in one piece! Reliable, comfortable JetBlue got us home seven minutes early!

While I enjoyed some aspects of the trip, I'm thankful that we did not move to New York City when we had the chance. I truly love Austin. Sometimes you have to get away from home to break the chains of daily chores/work, but Austin has everything I need and love.

True, the weather did not cooperate with our vacation plans, but I think I've seen all of New York City I need to see. Done. Check. Next. If I get my way, our next vacation will be somewhere lazy with nature versus a bustling city.